


How You Met

by SilverSapphyre



Series: Shorty Series [1]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Cussing, Cute, F/M, Fight with an Incubus demon, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Pheromones, Pre-Relationship, Sassy, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 22:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20786150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverSapphyre/pseuds/SilverSapphyre
Summary: The first time you met Nero was pure accident.The second time you met was more coincidence than anything.The third time you met was a little more interesting.The fourth time was a lot less of an accident.The fifth time you met was when you were sure the coincidences were actually some higher power at work.





	How You Met

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of my self-prompt list (that may or may not expand) for an overly self-indulgent series of NeroxFemReader that I’ve affectionately termed “Shorty Series.” There are quite a few people on tumblr who’ve had a hand in the birth of these piranhas, and I currently have nine more babies to nurture, some SFW…some, of course, definitely not. Anyway! Enjoy!

The first time you met Nero was pure accident. 

You had commissioned Nico’s renowned skills for a weapon that was light enough for you to handle but could switch between a gun and a sword. You had to come clean that the idea was from a video game, but she didn’t let that deter her creativity. She had called you in for measurements after drawing up some prototype schematics, and once she’d stopped ruffling your hair, though it took threats of harm to her worktable and cuts from her pay, she’d sent you on your way.

Her loud mouth meant you hadn’t heard the door open, and when you turned to leave, you were certain you had run your face into a fleshy wall.

“Ow _fuck_, my nose! Ugh! _All_ of my face!” you blurted as you stumbled back a step, covering said injured bits. “Who the hell put a wall here?!” Nico burst into laughter as you looked at what you hit and tilted your head up and up…and up… You were pleased that the first thing that blurted out of your mouth was, “Holy shit, you’re tall!” instead of the _actual_ first thing that went through your mind.

_He was so damn cute when he was confused!_

“Nico, since when do you sell weapons to kids?”

Thoughts of him being cute were shoved to the backburner as you gritted your teeth, your eyes widening and anger flushing your face. It was instinct that drove the steel toe of your boot into his shin.

“_Shitfuck**OW**-why?!_” he stammered as he hopped to lean on the wall behind him on one foot, cradling his shin.

You smirked a little as you looked at his annoyed face, squaring your shoulders and retorting, “Putting your snarky ass on my level, dickhead.”

Nico was dying behind her table, but she managed to gasp out, “You deserved that one!”

“Oh, shut up! It’s not my fault she’s so short!”

If he wasn’t such a pain in the ass, you thought you might have enjoyed his voice. “You’re just the _dickhead_ who pointed it out,” you bit back, rolling your shoulders and strolling by him to exit the van.

You could still hear Nico laughing outside.

_______

The second time you met was more coincidence than anything. 

Nico had finished your gunblade, which you were beyond pleased with after taking it for a test run. She had commented that it would stand up to ‘that dumbass’s strength,’ but you hadn’t known who she was talking about. You found out who she meant when a pack of Empusa thought you an easy meal.

You were doing well against them, taking your time and planning your strikes for maximum effectiveness, when one that you dodged around then turned to kill was suddenly _yanked_ by a red wire. You were a little dumbfounded and followed the flailing body to see him crush its face and part of its skull with one hand. “That was my kill, asshole!” you shouted, not caring about his annoyed look as you flipped your sword into a gun and put a bullet through the head of the demon behind you.

“Are you always this bitchy?!”

Your mouth dropped open at his audacity before you clenched your teeth and snarled, “Ex_cuse_ me?! The fuck did you just say?” You marched up to him, not even taking satisfaction in his eyebrows launching up his forehead as you shot another three demons with barely a glance in their directions. “_You _call me a _kid_ because I’m _short_,” you jabbed his abdomen with your index finger with each emphasis, “then _you_ get _pissy_ because _I_ was annoyed over it,” you shot another Empusa that was trying to interrupt your rant, “and _now_…you have _the fucking gall_ to call _me_ bitchy?!”

You were not going to let on just how much your finger was hurting from jabbing the flesh rocks he called abs as you glared up into his wide eyes. You also refused to let on just how pretty you thought his eyes were.

“Okay, okay!” He held his hands up, and you noticed one was mechanical. You could’ve sworn both arms were human the last time you saw him, but you hadn’t honestly paid much attention after kicking him. “Where does Nico find you irritable people, anyway?”

You huffed and turned your back on him. “She found your grouchy ass, didn’t she?” You tensed when a gun went off over your head, watching as the demon failing to creep up on you lost its head. “Well, what brings you here anyway?” you wondered as you twisted around him while flicking your weapon back into its sword form.

He gave you a weird look, and you rolled your eyes.

“Or don’t tell me,” you grumbled while carving a line up an Empusa’s torso, “See if I care.”

“You were just chewing my face off, and now you’re friendly? Would you make up your mind?” He had a point, and you pouted because of it. “What the hell is that look?”

“You’re right, and I don’t like it,” you admitted before pointing at him, “but don’t expect me to apologize! You deserved it!”

He pressed his lips together before heaving a sigh. “Yeah, I guess I did. Nico said you’re actually about my age.” He rubbed his nose, and you were startled at how adorable the action was. “I…I’m sorry, okay?”

It wasn’t often that people apologized for insulting you, even more when it was for things about yourself that you _couldn’t_ change, so you decided to soften up a little. You offered him your name, giving him a tiny smile.

He gave you a little grin in return, and you sincerely hoped your cheeks weren’t reddening as your heart beat a little faster. “I’m Nero. You got one hell of a kick, by the way.”

Considering he was the one Nico was talking about when mentioning the strength your blade could handle, you’d definitely take that as a compliment. “Why, thank you!” you appreciated with a wide grin. The rest of the small horde didn’t stand a chance against you alone, though Nero definitely made a difference in the time it would’ve taken you.

_______

The third time you met was a little more interesting.

You had received a call about a job that didn’t sound difficult. A demon was stalking the alleyway entrance of an apartment building and killing humans who were using said entrance. You were upset over the loss of life, but all you could do about it was stop it from continuing. You dressed in your hunting leathers and slid your gunblade into the holster on your thigh before making your way out to meet your client.

You were not expecting the target to be an _incubus_. If the apartment owner would’ve told you the demon was _fucking its victims to death_, you would’ve been much more prepared, such as getting laid at least within the previous day so that your sexual needs wouldn’t be used against you. You could barely remember the last time you’d had sex, so you took a deep breath to calm yourself. The thrall bore down upon you, choking you with pheromones and desire that you were hard pressed to push aside but somehow succeeded in doing so.

Dodging the incubus’s attempts to grab and to claw you was extremely difficult, but you managed to do so on very shaky legs. You thought up the most disgusting things you could think of to pull your mind away from the heavy arousal, grinning when you scored a rather nice hit from the demon’s ribs to his knee. He proceeded to flee, but you put a bullet through his other knee that dropped him to the pavement. A handful of shots and cutting his head off put the incubus out of his misery and yours, and you knew you’d have to wait until the next day to collect your payment due to the pheromones overcoming you. 

You panted softly as you stumbled out of the back alley and down the sidewalk. Only your hand on the fencing of a restaurant’s patio was keeping you upright, and you didn’t even notice Nero until you almost ran face-first into his takeout containers. He lifted them just in time, leaving you to plant your face into his sternum _again_.

“Hello, squishy wall,” you muttered, grimacing as his scent invaded your senses and _almost_ whining, but you caught yourself just in time.

“Hello, teeny,” he retorted with amusement in his tone, “You comfy?”

“Smells _so good_,” you half-moaned, clenching your teeth and hoping he didn’t catch the desperate note in your voice.

He huffed a laugh and nudged you. “Hungry? C’mon, I’ve got enough for all three of us.”

You didn’t know whether to thank your lucky stars or to start cursing his denseness as he helped maneuver you toward the van that was parked a few blocks away. You were _so hungry_, but you didn’t want _food_ like he was thinking. You knew you should’ve returned home, but you were in no state to do so on your own, and it would’ve been weird to ask Nero to walk you back. You were currently as safe as you were going to get anyway.

“Nero! You damn idiot!” was the first thing out of Nico’s mouth when she spotted you. “Shit! C’mere, you poor thing!” She plopped you down in one of the standalone chairs beside the table.

Nero scoffed and sat the food down on the stove. “What did I do now?! I thought she was hungry, so I offered for her to come eat with us!” He was in the process of digging out an extra plate and set of utensils for you since he had been prepared for only himself and Nico.

You shifted your lidded gaze to Nico when she tapped your cheek. “Oh, hi, Nico…!” you greeted with a little smile, “You look _really_ _pretty_ tonight.”

“Flushed cheeks, hazy eyes…no fever, though,” Nico muttered to herself as she snatched up your wrist to feel your pulse. “Increased heartrate… Did you fight anything recently?”

“Yep!” you answered proudly, kicking your feet since they barely reached the floor. “An incubus! He almost ensnared me, but I kicked his ass!”

“’Smells so good’…” Nero muttered, trailing off as his face lit up redder than you’d ever seen before he choked out, “She meant _me_…?!”

A quiet, high pitched noise escaped you before you blurted, “You’re so damn cute!”

Nero blushed even darker, but Nico steamrolled the situation with, “Well yeah, dumbass! She overcame an incubus’s thrall long enough to kill it! If she had less morals or you had less strength, she’d have pinned your ass down!”

Nero swallowed _hard_ and covered his face as he retreated to the front of the van. “Just…do what you need to do…! And you,” he pointed in your general direction, “_stop_ _teasing me_!”

Nico got you up and into the shower, helping you to rinse off the incubus’s blood. She had a bedside manner that surprised you with how callous she always seemed and was even prepared with a big, fluffy towel, a comfortable T-shirt, and a pair of pajama shorts when you stumbled out. The shorts were a little tight around your butt, but the T-shirt swallowed you. The aftermath of your hunt was much more bearable now, but you couldn’t help burying your nose in the fabric and taking a deep whiff of Nero’s scent. You flopped over on the couch with a quiet, little moan, but Nico and Nero both hustled you right back up.

“Food first, sweet-pea, then you can rest,” Nico told you, plopping a plate of spaghetti on your lap.

You only managed to eat half of what she dished out for you before your stomach rebelled a little. “S-Sorry, I’m…a little wound up,” you mumbled while setting it on the table.

“No worries,” Nero assured you as he slipped a blanket over you. “Get some sleep. We’ll take you home, alright?”

You were out before your body finished falling to the side. A slew of wet dreams invaded your sleep, and you could only hope you didn’t sound as much like a well-fucked whore on the outside as you did in those dreams. You barely stirred when you were lifted off the couch. You did, however, catch the surprised, somewhat-wonderous tone in Nero’s voice when he mentioned how tiny you were.

“Small and that’s all,” Nico’s voice came through clearly, “She’s a little bundle of C-4.”

_______

The fourth time was a lot less of an accident.

A ring of your doorbell startled you, almost resulting in your stir-fry decorating your stove, and you cursed softly and pulled it off the burner before going for the door. You stood up on your toes to see out of the peephole. Your eyes widened, and you quickly pulled the door open while blurting, “Nero? What are you doing here? …And why are you covered in blood?”

“Nico,” was all he muttered, and he looked so much like a lost puppy that you almost cooed. “I needed a breather, and the van is her workshop, so…I took off for a bit…”

“Get in here, ya big dork,” you mumbled with a tiny smile, “Boots off at the door. Sword and gun on the rack above, please. No destruction in my house.”

He looked over, noting your own weapon and boots there. “Got’cha.”

“Shower’s that way,” you pointed down the hallway, “and I’ll see if I have a pair of pajamas that’ll fit you.”

“You’re just gonna let me use your shower and stuff?” he asked, and he sounded rather dumbfounded. 

You figured he wasn’t used to people being very nice to him, and that made your heart twinge. You pushed that aside and smiled at him. “Of course! We’re practically friends by now, right?” You wanted to tease him and say you’d get a tarp for him to sit on, but you thought he wouldn’t entirely appreciate the joke right then. “No promises on fitting pants, though, ‘cause, _geez_, you have legs for days.”

He snorted and rolled his eyes. “So, I can’t give you a hard time over being so tiny,” he started while pulling a boot off, “but you can tall-shame me?” He glanced up to smirk at you. “Don’t think so, pipsqueak.”

“_P-Pipsqueak_?!” You bared your teeth while reaching toward his neck and making claw-hands, quite ready to choke him. “Not in my own home, jolly giant!”

“Pipe down, teeny,” he retorted with a grin that did unfair things to your tummy, “I can’t hear over all your _squeaking_.”

He was covered in blood, but you didn’t care as you tackled him. The stains in your rug and clothes were the least of your worries as you planted one of your hands on his face to hold his head down, ignoring that you were straddling him with one of his hands on your hip and another on your shoulder. “You are _such_ a dick!” The grin on your face and amusement in your tone killed any bite in the words, though he did snap his teeth at your thumb since it was near his lips. “And here I was about to offer you food, too!”

His stomach rumbled at the mention of something edible, causing his cheeks to flush in embarrassment as he froze due to the traitorous noise.

You shot him an exasperated glare. As a Devil Hunter, food was important to make sure _you_ didn’t become the main course. “When was the last time you ate?” He pressed his lips together, his brow furrowing as he looked away. “Nero…” your voice was soft but still scolding, “I mean it. When?”

“Uh…” He glanced back at you and cringed a little before finally answering, “Three days ago?”

You gently smacked his head. No wonder he looked so exhausted and toppled over so easily when you tackled him. “I’m afraid to ask why, and I’m not going to ask how long since you slept, so c’mon. My couch folds out into a bed, but definitely shower first,” you said as you stood and offered him a hand.

Nero stared at the appendage for a moment, and you couldn’t tell whether he was confused or surprised.

“It’s a hand,” you teased, “You have two of your own, remember?” He snorted but took your hand with his right, and you hid your astonishment at it _not _being mechanical. “Gosh, your hands are _huge_!” You hadn’t noticed earlier during your playing, but you definitely did right then.

“Not just my hands.”

You shot him a _look_, clearly amused and maybe a little challenging. “Did you just _flirt _with me?”

He rubbed his nose and looked away, glancing back at you with the cutest, little smile.

“Alright, you’re obviously delirious,” you decided, pulling him up and shoving him toward the bathroom. He rolled his eyes but went as you directed, and you finished up your stir-fry before hunting down the biggest pair of pajama pants you owned. They completely engulfed your feet, keeping your toes warm in the winter, so you hoped they fit him. You grudgingly parted with the T-shirt you hadn’t yet given back, not completely upset since it didn’t smell like him anymore. You also hoped he didn’t mind abstract, black-and-white stripes or fuzzy material, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

You made sure to take extra care with the worn sweater he seemed to love wearing, putting his clothes in your washer on a gentle-soak cycle with a few house remedies for getting rid of blood. You planned on dropping his coat off at the cleaners two blocks from your house before going to bed. Soft footsteps pulled you from your thoughts, and you looked up at the kitchen doorway to see him pulling the drawstring tight on your pants. A quiet giggle bubbled up out of your throat before you could catch it at the fact that they still were half an inch too short.

Nero shot you an annoyed glare and muttered, “Sorry, I don’t have as much ass as you do.”

You turned back to the stove to continue dishing up dinner and couldn’t help the smirk on your face as you replied, “Nice to know you’ve been looking.” You sat both plates with cutlery on the table, moving to quickly catch the toast as your toaster attempted to belch it across the kitchen. It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time the menace shot it into the sink. “You like anything special on yours?” You shook the slice at him for emphasis.

“Anything’s fine,” he mumbled, still standing awkwardly in the entryway of your kitchen.

“Nero,” you called, giving him a soft smile when he shifted his weight from foot to foot, “Sit down, okay? I’m not gonna bite…unless you’re into that?” 

His cheeks flushed a light pink, but he sat where he noticed the cutlery was set on the left side of the plate. “How’d you know I’m left-handed?”

“You’re actually ambidextrous,” you answered, grinning a tiny bit at his surprised look, “but I’ve noticed your left hand is a little more dominant. I’m just…a little too observant, I guess.”

“Anything else you’ve observed that I should know about?”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “A good magician never reveals her secrets,” you pointed at his plate, “and well-behaved Devil Hunters eat their food before it gets cold.”

He rolled his eyes but didn’t let the stir-fry get any colder.

_______

The fifth time you met was when you were sure the coincidences were actually some higher power at work.

You were fighting off a couple of Hell Antenora when an Empusa Queen decided to interrupt, leaving you very much on the backfoot as you tried to keep from knocking the berserker menaces down and avoid the Queen’s attacks. You groaned in annoyance as the Queen sent _both_ Antenora to the ground. A couple of properly timed sidesteps and rolls had you out of the raging demons’ way as they hit each other, but you cursed when the Queen caught you.

You weren’t even in your hunting gear and counted yourself lucky for the fact that you carried your gunblade everywhere since being a human was like a beacon for this specific set of demons. Due to not having your leathers, the Queen easily pierced through your clothes and scratched up your skin. The jagged teeth of the gaping mouth came closer before a huge, blue hand closed over the Queen’s head to _crush_ the face closed, and a moment later, your vision was full of navy blue while your ears were full of an angry shout.

The Empusa Queen dropped you due to a small explosion. You found it was Nero’s mechanical arm as you watched the connector vanish into whitish-blue energy and his human arm take form, leaving you speechless for a few moments until you pushed the matter aside. There were demons to kill, and protecting your lives took precedence over processing strange happenings. You wanted to rethink that mandate when, after Nero killed the Queen and moved on to helping you with the last Hell Antenora, you watched him scoop up the rampaging demon and _powerbomb_ it into the ground.

The glow over his arms drew your attention more than the feat of strength did, and you stepped up beside him to trace a hand down his arm before they faded again. He gasped and pivoted to face you, but you kept a gentle hold on his now-flesh hand. You noted the part-worried, part-anxious look on his face and gave him a tiny smile as you teased, “Neat trick. I bet you’re great at parties.”

He blinked at you as his eyebrows raised in surprise. All the tension seemed to pour out of him as a grin curved his lips. “Heh,” he laughed softly, “Something like that.”

You tapped his right arm with your index fingertip and mumbled, “May I?” He gave you a confused look but didn’t stop you when you rolled your eyes with an amused smile, taking both of his hands and holding them up so that you could press your palms to them.

He huffed a soft laugh at how completely his hands engulfed your own, closing his fingers so slowly and so carefully over yours. He quietly muttered, “You’re so tiny,” and his voice dropped to more of a whisper as he added, “I sometimes worry I’ll break you if I touch you.”

You couldn’t help the snort that escaped you and gently rebuked, “Give me a little credit; I’m tougher than I look.” You wriggled your fingers and made him straighten his out again. Your voice was soft as you stated, “These hands have now kept me safe and cared for me three times,” you looked up to lock your eyes with his stormy-blue ones, “I trust these hands, Nero.” You watched his face go through a range of emotions before finally settling on bewilderment.

“You, uh…have a weird, um…_outlook_ on things that should terrify you,” he finally said.

You gave him a little smile, tickling your fingers against his palms to make him snicker. “Hey, ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ right?”

Nero blushed all the way to the tips of his ears and ducked his head, but you caught the smile curving his lips.

You didn’t want to keep embarrassing him, not sure how much longer he’d let you get away with the compliments before throwing snark at you, so you tapped his boot with the toe of yours and offered, “You like Italian, right? Let me buy you dinner for the save.”

“Huh?” he blurted before quickly continuing, “No-no-no, you don’t nee-”

You weren’t sure whether it was _the look_ you gave him or the stern, “_Nero_,” that made him clamp his mouth shut. “No good deed goes unpunished.”

His lips quirked upward, and he mumbled, “I kinda like your version of punishment, then,” making you giggle quietly.

It was only then that you realized neither of you had moved your hands yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Also on tumblr: @SilverSapphyre


End file.
